The bus ride felt longer than usual.
Benny sat by the window, his backpack resting on his lap as familiar streets passed by one after another.
The scenery hadn't changed much.
The same convenience store stood on the corner.
The same old bakery filled the air with the scent of freshly baked bread.
Even the small playground where neighborhood children laughed every evening remained exactly as he remembered.
Only one thing had changed.
Him.
It had been two years since he left this place.
Two years since he had walked away from the house he had never been allowed to call home.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
"...Why now?"
The question escaped his lips before he even realized it.
The call still echoed in his mind.
"Come back."
"We're having a family meeting."
His foster father hadn't sounded angry.
Nor had he sounded apologetic.
His voice had been as cold as ever.
As though Benny had simply stepped out yesterday instead of disappearing for two years.
The bus came to a stop.
"Oakwood Estate," the driver announced.
Benny stood quietly before stepping off.
The familiar road stretched before him.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Soon, an old two-story house came into view.
Its white paint had faded with time, and the front garden, once carefully maintained, was now overgrown with weeds.
Benny stood silently at the gate.
The memories came rushing back.
Cold winters without enough blankets.
Empty stomachs while everyone else ate dinner.
Being blamed whenever something broke.
Sleeping after finishing homework because there was no food left for him.
His foster mother had always said the same thing.
"Be grateful we took you in."
Grateful...
Benny let out a quiet laugh.
If hunger...
Loneliness...
And being treated like free labor were kindness...
Then perhaps he really should have been grateful.
He pushed open the gate.
The rusty hinges creaked loudly.
The front door opened before he even knocked.
Standing there was his foster father.
Time had added more wrinkles to his face, but his stern expression remained unchanged.
For a few seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
"Come in."
His voice was flat.
No welcome.
No apology.
No "How have you been?"
Just...
"Come in."
Benny stepped inside.
The house smelled exactly the same.
His eyes wandered across the living room.
Nothing had changed.
Except...
His foster mother wasn't there.
Instead, his foster brother, Daniel, sat on the sofa scrolling through his phone.
He barely glanced at Benny before looking away again.
"So you actually came."
His tone carried neither warmth nor surprise.
Benny ignored the remark.
His eyes returned to his foster father.
"You said this was important."
"It is."
His foster father motioned toward a chair.
"Sit."
Benny remained standing.
"I'd rather stand."
A flicker of annoyance crossed the older man's face, but he let it pass.
He reached into a drawer and placed a thick envelope on the table.
Inside were several medical reports.
Hospital bills.
Prescription forms.
Benny frowned.
"What are these?"
His foster father folded his hands.
"Your foster mother has been diagnosed with severe heart failure."
Benny's eyes moved across the papers.
"She needs a heart transplant."
The room fell silent.
He looked down again.
The reports appeared genuine.
The doctor's recommendation.
The estimated surgery cost.
Everything was there.
For a brief moment...
He felt something tighten inside his chest.
Not hatred.
Not satisfaction.
Just... silence.
Finally, he looked up.
"...I'm sorry she's ill."
His foster father nodded once.
"The surgery is expensive."
"We've sold nearly everything we could."
Daniel finally put away his phone.
"We're still short."
Benny looked between them.
"...And?"
His foster father met his gaze directly.
"We want you to help."
The words hung heavily in the room.
Benny blinked.
"...Help?"
"You've been living on your own for two years," the older man continued.
"You're studying Computer Science."
"I've heard people in that field earn good money."
Daniel leaned back lazily.
"You've always been smart."
"Figure something out."
For several seconds...
Benny simply stared at them.
Then...
He laughed.
A quiet laugh.
One without happiness.
His foster father frowned.
"What's funny?"
Benny slowly raised his head.
"Two years."
His voice was calm.
"You never asked if I had somewhere to sleep."
"You never asked if I had enough to eat."
"You never called on my birthday."
"You never cared whether I was alive..."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"But today..."
"You remembered you have another son."
The living room fell into complete silence.
Benny's smile disappeared.
"I spent days hungry in this house."
"I wore torn uniforms while Daniel got new ones."
"I worked after school just to buy my own books."
"When I got sick, you told me to stop pretending."
His voice never rose.
That made every word hurt even more.
"And now..."
"You want my help?"
No one answered.
The silence was louder than any argument.